YouTube for iOS adds TV pairing

The YouTube iOS app has been updated, adding the ability to pair your iPhone or iPad with your smart TV.

Android users have been able to use the ‘Send to TV’ feature for some months now, but Google has now opened out the function to iOS users.

You can now pair your iPhone or iPad with selected smart TVs. This allows you to play YouTube videos over your Wi-Fi connection onto your television, with your iPhone or iPad acting as a remote control.

YouTube’s justification for this feature is that you can find your way to YouTube far quicker on your phone than on your smart TV interface.

YouTube TV pairing compatibilityAt present this function is only compatible with Google TV sets (obviously) as well as PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Earlier in the year, the YouTube blog revealed that this mobile/TV pairing function was being brought to “devices from our friends including Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony.”

It also revealed that “in 2013, you’ll see this feature come to even more devices like those from Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, Vizio, Western Digital and others.”

In other words, if you have a smart TV, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to seamlessly stream YouTube videos from your mobile phone either now or in the not too distant future.

As well as the TV pairing addition, the iOS YouTube update integrates the YouTube Connect function, which allows you to record and upload YouTube videos from your iOS device.

You should also find that general YouTube performance is improved over slow Wi-Fi connections.

Have you tried pushing YouTube videos to your smart TV yet? Is it a worthwhile feature? Let us know in the comments section below, or take to the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds to have your say.